cannabisnews.com: Justices Hear Arguments in Harrelson Hemp Case
Justices Hear Arguments in Harrelson Hemp Case
Posted by FoM on October 15, 1999 at 09:10:17 PT
By Andy Mead, Herald-Leader Staff Writer
Source: Herald-Leader
Justice William Cooper noted that sugar looks a lot like cocaine and wondered whether possession of sugar should be made a crime.
Chief Justice Joseph Lambert wondered whether you could distinguish between a marijuana patch and a hemp field from a helicopter.Thus did The Commonwealth of Kentucky vs. Woodrow Harrelson, a legal case that began more than three years ago when the actor planted hemp seeds in a rocky Lee County field, get its day before the Kentucky Supreme Court.At issue: Whether the Kentucky law that considers hemp as illegal as marijuana is too overly broad to be constitutional, or whether it is vital to keep the state from being overrun by drug dealers.While a decision from Kentucky's high court could be six months away, the outcome could determine whether Kentucky farmers, once foremost in the nation in hemp production, will be allowed to grow the crop again. A lot has happened since that June 1996 day when Woody Harrelson, wearing comfortable hemp clothing, wielded a grubbing hoe in a deliberate attempt to get arrested and set up a test of the law.By the time attorneys in suits presented their case to judges in robes yesterday, three states had taken steps to allow farmers to grow hemp, a cousin of marijuana that contains an insignificant amount of the chemical that causes a high.The three are Hawaii, Minnesota and North Dakota. Planting could begin late this year in Hawaii if permits are issued by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.The Fayette County Farm Bureau recently passed a resolution that strongly encouraged the General Assembly to make Kentucky the next state to legalize hemp. That appears unlikely; a bill that would allow a university study of the crop got nowhere in the 1998 legislative session.Harrelson, an actor known for his roles in the TV series Cheers and in various movies, was not in court yesterday. He was in New York preparing to open in the play The Rainmaker.But his mother was there. And to the media crowd that covered the arguments, that was almost as good.She is Diane Harrelson, 62. She lives in Lebanon, Ohio.Like her son, she was wearing hemp clothing. She carried a hemp purse. She did not address the court, but after the attorneys and justices had their say, reporters and television cameras crowded around her.She talked about the agricultural and environmental attributes of hemp and wondered whether the DEA ``has better things to do'' than confiscate Canadian hemp seed that came into this country recently as bird food.She also mentioned that she is just completing a master of science thesis at Antioch College. The subject: The use of hemp for paper. It will be printed on paper that is 50 percent hemp.The arguments in the Harrelson case were heard yesterday at the University of Louisville's Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. It was only the second time the Supreme Court has met in Louisville. The courtroom was overflowing with students.In considering the case, the seven justices could follow two lower courts and find the state law unconstitutional. Or they could follow the state Court of Appeals, which said the matter should go back to where it began -- Lee District Court -- on a procedural matter.Tom Jones, the county attorney in Lee County, argued that allowing hemp to be grown in Kentucky would create a law enforcement nightmare because the plant looks so similar to marijuana until the two are mature.Harrelson's attorney, Charles Beal II of Lexington, said his client was not trying to legalize marijuana in Kentucky.But the law that lumps hemp with marijuana is not reasonable, he said.Strictly followed, Beal said, the law could be used to shut down stores in Louisville and Lexington that sell hemp clothing.``Based on the way the law is written today,'' Beal said, ``there are certain copies of the Constitution that would be illegal if I possessed them in this court.''Published Friday, October 15, 1999, in the Herald-Leader Reach Andy Mead at (606) 231-3319 (800) 950-6397, or amead herald-leader.comHarrelson in Louisvillehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3280.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by Angie on August 12, 2000 at 11:50:15 PT:
Legal Aliens being deported for drug busts
The INS has new laws that no one is yet aware of we need to shout and be heard because families of with 30years in the United States are being torn apart. If you are sentenced for more than two years in jail the INS will pick you up after your jail time has been done. They will take you to their jail where you can not even smoke there is no health care and you rut away until they deport you.People with all immediate families here including kids grandchildren, wifes, husbands, parents, brothers and sisters are being sent away never to be able to return.Please help !!!!!
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Comment #4 posted by CHRISTOPHER WOLFF on July 20, 2000 at 14:40:01 PT
LEGALIZING HEMP FOR AGRICULTURAL USE
I LOVE HEMP!!
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Comment #3 posted by susan on May 27, 2000 at 14:45:13 PT:
agricultural hemp
in ft collins, co there is a store there called the hemporer's clothes or something to that effect. obviously they sell hemp clothing.(hence the name) anyway, in this store one of the most interesting article they have is on an obscure shelf in the front corner of the store. it's a glass jar of hemp-based fuel that can be used in an automobile. with the price of gas and scarcity of fossil fuels, wouldn't this be better? the half-electric car is finally here but electric (i believe) will also become more pricey as demand grows. why can't a country with virtually no natural resources invest their people in a solid, productive crop? that said, might i mention hemp's cousin also a hearty crop, that can withstand all manners of weather and conditions. if only the government would tax it, they could stand to make a hefty profit. the medicinal properties could be harnessed and people would no longer have to suffer with pain and chemical dependance. also, crime would be at an all time low as potentially violent criminals could be issued a prescription when leaving jail. that combined with effective therapy while incarserated could do wonders for dropping the numbers of repeat offenders in my opinion. however, we also do not need to become a nation of lazy stoners, they do nothing but eat your chips and lay on the couch. with the right advocasy similar to the truth campaign it could become a respected part of the countries crop. what do we really have to lose?
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Comment #2 posted by susan on May 27, 2000 at 14:44:53 PT:
agricultural hemp
in ft collins, co there is a store there called the hemporer's clothes or something to that effect. obviously they sell hemp clothing.(hence the name) anyway, in this store one of the most interesting article they have is on an obscure shelf in the front corner of the store. it's a glass jar of hemp-based fuel that can be used in an automobile. with the price of gas and scarcity of fossil fuels, wouldn't this be better? the half-electric car is finally here but electric (i believe) will also become more pricey as demand grows. why can't a country with virtually no natural resources invest their people in a solid, productive crop? that said, might i mention hemp's cousin also a hearty crop, that can withstand all manners of weather and conditions. if only the government would tax it, they could stand to make a hefty profit. the medicinal properties could be harnessed and people would no longer have to suffer with pain and chemical dependance. also, crime would be at an all time low as potentially violent criminals could be issued a prescription when leaving jail. that combined with effective therapy while incarserated could do wonders for dropping the numbers of repeat offenders in my opinion. however, we also do not need to become a nation of lazy stoners, they do nothing but eat your chips and lay on the couch. with the right advocasy similar to the truth campaign it could become a respected part of the countries crop. what do we really have to lose?
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 15, 1999 at 09:31:41 PT:
Harrelson Hemp Suit
Enviormental News Networkhttp://www.enn.com/Friday, October 15, 1999 News BytesThe Kentucky Supreme Court heard arguments Oct. 14 challenging the state's classification of marijuana and hemp. The court challenge began over three years ago when actor Woody Harrelsonhttp://mrshowbiz.go.com/people/woodyharrelson/planted four certified industrial hemp seeds in Lee County and was arrested for possession of marijuana. Under current state law, hemp is classified as marijuana and is therefore illegal to grow in Kentucky. Harrelson is a proponent of the economic and environmental benefits of hemp farming, which is legal in Hawaii, North Dakota and Minnesota and in Germany, Great Britain and other countries.http://www.hempseed.com/cfpro/hempseed_1/catalog.cfm Hemp is used to make a variety of items including lip balm, jeans and musical instruments.
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